Unlike prior rounds of the program, for FY2024 the program will be administered as a block-grant to place-based organizations. Place-based organizations can apply to receive funds to activate vacant buildings in the jurisdiction they serve. The place-based organizations, if awarded, will sub-grant the funds to for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, cooperatively-owned businesses, and social enterprises to start up or expand to vacant buildings. Please note, small businesses will not be eligible to apply directly to the program in the next round.      

Place-based organizations are non-profit or local government entities that work to improve a specific jurisdiction within the state, whose mission and work substantially contribute to the economic development and/or historic preservation of the local business district/s and whose programs and activities support the small businesses within the jurisdiction they serve.       

Examples of place-based organizations are Main Street programs, Arts & Entertainment Districts​ and community development organizations. To locate place-based organizations in an area, you can reach out to the economic development agency for that area; see list of agencies​​. You can also reach out to program staff at dhcd.projectrestore@maryland.gov for guidance.      

To be eligible to apply, an applicant must be a place-based organization working within a state designated Sustainable Community and also meet at least one of the following criteria:        

• One of the state’s 34 designated Main Street Maryland communities;
• One of Baltimore City’s 8 designated Main Street neighborhoods;
• One of the designated Arts & Entertainment districts;
• An IRS-determined nonprofit organization whose mission and work substantially contributes to the economic development and/or historic preservation of the local business district/s and whose programs and activities support the small businesses within the district; or
• A local government entity.

Please note that eligible organizations can apply together in partnership to request funding for the same geographic program area, but may not duplicate efforts in the same geography. Partners must collaborate on an application or differentiate the areas they will cover in separate applications.        

Additionally, an applicant must meet all the following threshold criteria:        

• Registered and in good standing with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT); and;
• Based in Maryland and serve Maryland communities and populations; and
• The entity and the vacant property/s must be located in a DHCD-designated Sustainable Community; and
• Have at least a 0.5 FTE dedicated, paid staff member.

Grant applications should relate to / advance one or more of Governor Moore and Secretary Day’s priorities, listed below.        

Grant awardees (place-based organizations) will provide property improvement grants to sub-grantees (for-profit, non-profit, cooperatives, social enterprises) located within the jurisdiction they serve.        

The intent of the program is to support downtown and historic commercial corridors; the focus of the program is on street-level retail that activates vacant buildings in a commercial corridor and supports a walkable business district.        

Grant requests can range from a minimum of $30,000 to a maximum of $300,000.        

Unlike prior rounds of funding of the program, there is no minimum length of time the property has to have been vacant to be eligible. Verification of a vacant property will be provided by grantees, if awarded.        

Vacant building does not mean the entire building has to be vacant. For example, if one property has three tenant spaces and two are vacant, the two vacant properties are eligible.        

During the grant term, eligible use of the funds includes:        

• Rent payments;
• Renovation and fit out of the building (interior and/or exterior);
• Furniture, fixtures and equipment;
• Up to 15% of the total request may go toward operating costs, such as the salary of (new or existing) staff members responsible for attraction, retention, and support of sub-grantees and other related costs.

Property acquisition is not an eligible use of grant funds.        

DHCD will coordinate with the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) after funding decisions are made to ensure compliance as necessary for each property activated with grant funds.        

By the end of the grant period all sub-grantees will need to be fully operational in the formerly vacant building.        

Individual grant amounts may be reduced relative to requests, including for operating support, if demand exceeds available funding.        

Applications will be submitted via the Maryland OneStop Portal​.       

The next round of the program is not yet open for submissions. We expect the program to be open and applications ready for submission in Q1 (calendar) 2024.       

Once the application is live, we will be offering training sessions and 1:1 technical support. Dates and times for those sessions will be announced once the program is open.          

To be alerted when the application is open, please sign up for DHCD's news and alerts​.